


SUPERSTAR

by HeavenlyMess



Category: Frank Iero and the Future Violents (Band), Frank Iero and the Patience, Gerard Way and the Hormones, LeATHERMØUTH, My Chemical Romance, frnkiero andthe cellabration
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic, Fluff, Frerard, Kidfic, M/M, family fic, frerardau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:55:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenlyMess/pseuds/HeavenlyMess
Summary: Frank Iero is a divorced father of three.He is on tour with Gerard Way's band.They meet, they start to get closer...
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

_CHICAGO_

It felt good to be back on tour.

Yeah, Frank was going to miss his kids and the dogs, but he didn’t imagined a different life for himself. He belong onstage, playing. That was the only thing that kept him sane.

Especially after the divorce.

He really thought he would end his days with Jamia. But sometimes things don’t work anymore, no matter how much you try. And it was better to end things before it got worse, so they could remain friends, which he was grateful for. Over a year later, they were still best friends.

As he dragged himself through the bus, he remembered the familiar feeling of living in a crowded space with others and the smells, and living off poptarts and microwaved burritos. But he was so used to that life, it felt like home.

‘Dibs on the middle bunk,’ he yelled, and threw his backpack to said bunk, claiming it for himself. He taped the drawing Lily made for him before he left, as well as a picture of the four of them with Lois, and placed the stuffed animals they gave him next to his pillow. Now it felt like home.

***

He was touring with his friends of Taking Back Sunday, among other newer bands opening for them, and it was the best way to introduce his new project to the world.

He was thankful to Adam for inviting him to be part of the tour, and he knew it’d be fun around them. ‘Frank! My man!’ he said as Frank joined him in the parking lot of the venue.

‘Adam!’ They hugged and greeted each other as usual, a little too affectionate, but they’d known each other for so long.

‘Glad to see you playing again!’

‘Thank you, yeah. It’s good to be back.’ They sat and smoked, catching up on their lives, while the other bands did soundcheck. Other people joined soon. Frank knew some of them, some he’d never seen in his life. Like the man with the long brown hair and the sweatshirt with all the holes in it, though he looked familiar.

‘Gerard!’ Adam said, hugging the man, who shyly hugged back.

‘Hey,’ he said.

‘Frank, this is Gerard, remember? From My Chemical Romance?’ Wow! So it was him? now he remembered him with the short, silver hair all those years ago. He looked different! But the hobo look suited him pretty well. He was hot. ‘Gerard, this is Frank Iero –’

‘Leathermøuth, right?’ Gerard asked, and Frank nodded, surprised. ‘I was a fan.’

‘Wow, really? Thanks!’ He was flattered. He used to be a big deal back then, and his band was huge. ‘I loved the Black Parade album. I was sad when you broke up after that.’

‘It was the right time.’

‘And you never did music again?’ Frank asked. Adam was already walking away, but they kept talking.

‘What do you think I’m here for?’

‘What? I didn’t know! What band you’re in?’

‘The Fabulous Killjoys.’

‘Oh, so that’s you?’ Gerard nodded. ‘Well, welcome back.’ And he offered him a cigarette, as the rest of Frank’s band joined them.

***

‘Thank you so much, Chicago’ Frank said to the audience. ‘We are the Future Violents, have a great night!’ And then he was off stage.

It was the first night of the tour.

He had missed singing in front of an audience and them singing his songs back to him. But he also missed the kids. He went out for a cigarette, while Taking Back Sunday took the stage, and called the kids before they went to bed. ‘Cherry, please let your brother talk,’ he said. ‘Yes, Miles, I’ll bring you a rock.’ He soon told them good night, and was about to head back inside, when Gerard joined him. ‘Oh, hey.’

‘Hey. Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your call.’

‘Oh, you didn’t.’

There was a long silence, though not awkward at all. ‘Your kids?’ Gerard asked.

‘Yeah. Three of them.’ The smile on his face was the most adorable Gerard had seen.

‘Aww. You seem like one of those dads who really enjoys being a dad.’

‘Well, I do.’ Another silence. ‘You got kids?’

‘No. Never got married. Just a bunch of failed relationships.’ Gerard had quit music entirely after the success of The Black Parade, and dedicated his time to write comic books. The thing he liked the most about being away from the spotlight, was that nobody gave a shit about his personal life in the comic book scene.

‘Nothing wrong about that.’

‘I got two cats!’

Frank just laughed. He didn’t know what it was, but he liked this guy’s company. And he was cute as fuck.


	2. BEFORE THE SECOND SHOW

KANSAS CITY

Frank and his crew got up early in the morning to go buy coffee and donuts for everyone as a way to celebrate a great first show.

When they made it to the venue, everyone was excited, and Frank suddenly became the hero of the day. He and Tucker set up the display, and told everyone to get as many as they wanted. And then, he noticed him.

Gerard.

In the back of the room, by the main entrance, helping with the merch table. ‘I’ll be right back,’ he told Tucker, and took one of the coffees and two donuts. He still hadn’t figured out what it was. Maybe it was just admiration. After all, Gerard was the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned. And he was from his hometown. But also, Frank couldn’t stop thinking about his cute smile and the way his mouth crooked when he talked.

Whatever it was, he just wanted to say hi.

‘Hey, there!’ Frank said, approaching the other man, who instantly looked up and smiled at him. Frank handed him the coffee. ‘Here. It’s vanilla latte. There’s some sweetener over there in case you need some.’

‘What? You brought me coffee?’ Frank was blushing. ‘Thanks, man!’

‘Oh, and donuts!’

They had spent a good hour or two talking the night before. Nothing in particular, just how Gerard was adjusting to life on tour again, and how both their albums were coming out on the same week. And Frank asked if he missed New Jersey. But by the end of the night, it seemed like they were good friends.

‘That’s so nice of you,’ Gerard said, and there was a long silence while Frank tried to pretend he wasn’t nervous.

‘So you’re doing merch too?’ Frank didn’t know what to say.

‘Just helping them set up. I don’t have a merch person, so just putting up some shirts and stuff.’

Frank looked at them, impressed by the designs. ‘They’re really cool. I might contact your artist for my own merch.’

‘Well, I designed them.’

‘Oh yeah! You’re an artist! Well, they’re fucking awesome.’

‘Thanks.’ Gerard was blushing now, while Billy the merch kid looked at them, knowing exactly what was happening but chose not to say a word.

‘You know what?’ Frank asked. ‘I’m getting one, and wearing it tonight.’ He chose one with a big spider on it, and even though Gerard insisted it was a gift, Frank paid him twenty bucks.

‘Thanks.’

Frank didn’t want to hurry things up and ruin everything. He had just met him the day before, for fuck’s sake. But the feeling inside was too familiar, and he was no stranger to love at first sight. He knew it could happen.

But for now, he’d just take a step back, and go with the flow. ‘I’ll see you later, then,’ he said, and went back to the bus.

***

Frank had an interview or two, before soundcheck and then, a couple hours to get something to eat. He saw that there was a veggie restaurant a couple blocks away, so he and Adam and Tucker headed out. And obviously, when he saw Gerard smoking by himself, he invited him too.

They all talked about random stuff, and Frank didn’t want to be too obvious, so he talked to Tucker, and texted some friends. But he couldn’t help hearing Gerard’s conversation with Adam. They clearly knew each other for a long time, and Adam was asking him about this Victor dude. Gerard said something about things ending badly, and Mikey having to intervene. _So he’s into dudes, too,_ Frank thought, and had to fight the urge to smile.

As they headed back to the venue, Gerard stayed a little behind so he could talk to Frank. ‘Thanks for inviting me,’ he said.

‘Well, it was on Adam, so –’

‘Yeah, but you asked me.’ The other two were already inside, so Gerard offered Frank a cigarette, and they talked more. Fans were starting to gather outside the fence, barely feet away from where they were sitting, and a couple of them noticed them there and called their names, so they just waved at them. ‘I kinda forgot about all of it,’ Gerard said.

‘What?’

‘Life on the road, fans. Their expectations. People wanting a picture with you.’

‘Yeah, it’s not easy.’

‘And I don’t look like I used to. I’ve already seen a few people one twitter –’

Frank didn’t let him finish. ‘Don’t read that shit. It’s bullshit. And maybe I’m out of line, but you look fine as hell. So –’ What did he just say? When he realized the words coming out of his mouth, it was already too late, and he tried to hide his face but it was hard not to see how red he turned.

Gerard just laughed, because it was easier than ignoring his brain telling him to kiss him. Though he wanted to, so bad, he knew he couldn’t with so many people watching them. And he could swear Frank was giving him that look for a brief second, when his drummer came out to tell him they had to get ready for their set. _Thank God,_ Gerard thought.

They both hurried up inside, and just before going in the green room, when nobody was watching, Frank stopped him, and pulling his shirt, he planted a quick kiss on his lips.

Just to make sure.

And by the smile on Gerard’s face, he knew it wasn’t just him.

And the butterflies in his stomach were back. Or maybe it was just the usual stomachaches he got every night before playing a show. But he was sure he liked Gerard.

When he and his band took the stage, Frank stood by the side, watching their set. His songs were so upbeat, and his stage persona was much more outgoing, which he loved.

Yeah he was definitely falling for Gerard Way.


	3. YOUR KISS

He kissed Gerard Way.

Frank never thought he’d fall for him, or anyone while on tour. Yeah, he had had hookups while on tour. Many times. But that’s what they were. Hookups.

He had never got lost in someone else’s eyes while they talked, wishing he could kiss them, and spend all night talking to them, hearing them laugh.

And lying in his bunk, that was all Frank wanted.

He wanted to talk to him, and kiss him again, this time linger for a little longer.

He still could feel Gerard in his lips, the warmth he felt every time he was around. It felt good. He felt good.

Frank was sure he’d never fall in love again. Once things ended with Jamia, he took it really hard, and he didn’t even make music for a while and thought about quitting. He had a few one-night stands but nothing meaningful.

And he honestly thought that was going to be the case for him.

Though after a while he didn’t mind anymore. He was happy with his kids, and he’d rather spend more time with them than look for a relationship. Things were finally great, he had find that balance, he started making music again, he had the best children in the world.

And now Gerard Fucking Way had him feeling like a teenager, his whole world turned upside down because of one kiss.

When they made it to Denver the next morning, all Frank wanted was to look for Gerard. He didn’t see him after the show was over, and for a moment he thought he regretted the kiss.

When he hopped off the bus, he saw Gerard talking to his musicians, so he stopped himself from going up to him and kissing him in front of them. Instead, he just waved at him, and kept walking. Gerard waved back, with a smile, and Frank wanted to believe he was just exaggerating.

He walked in the venue, looking for a restroom, when someone almost ran past him. It wasn’t until said person was pulling him inside the nearest room – some sort of janitor’s closet – that he realized it was Gerard. And when he opened his mouth to say something – he didn’t know what, he just wanted to know if that kiss had even been real –, Gerard pushed him to the wall, his lips pressed against his, opening them to let Frank in.

It was hot and Frank suddenly forgot how to breath.

He ran his fingers through Gerard’s hair and face, pulling him closer, hungry for more.

‘Please tell me this is real and I’m not imagining this,’ Gerard said once they pulled apart. He kept his eyes closed, just in case it was a dream.

‘I’m not sure,’ Frank answered and kissed him again. ‘It feels like a dream to me.’

‘Let’s not talk then.’ Gerard just kept kissing him, with more hair pulling and lip biting. Though Frank couldn’t stop smiling while Gerard bit his neck.

‘Should we continue this later tonight?’ Frank asked before walking out the door.

‘I don’t see why not.’ He was careful not to walk too close to Frank, and they went on their separate ways. At some point during the afternoon, they hung out and had a cigarette, though Adam was there, as well as Gerard’s band, so they had to keep appearances to just laugh, and maybe share glances. But as soon as the show was over, they snuck out to the back of Gerard’s bus, while his band was somewhere smoking, and made out in the couch.

It quickly went from sloppy kisses and grinding against each other to Gerard slipping in his hands under Frank’s shirt and biting his collarbone. When Gerard started undoing his pants and sliding down, Frank stopped him. ‘Let’s take it slow, okay?’ he asked. ‘I like this.’

‘Yeah,’ Gerard replied, barely able to talk. ‘Me too.’ And they kept making out.

***

They kept kissing in secret and sneaking out to make out for the next couple days, though they hadn’t really talked about what they were doing.

After their Portland show, they ran to the restroom, but this time Frank didn’t stop Gerard as he pulled down his pants and took his length, nor when he got on his knees and took him in his mouth. It felt so fucking good, and he needed it. The way Gerard’s tongue licked the underside of his cock sent shivers through his spine.

He knew what he was doing.

Frank felt like losing his shit every time he sucked the tip.

‘I’m –,’ he tried to say, but then he was coming down his throat, and Gerard swallowing it.

They stayed like that for a moment, recovering their breath, taking it all in. Frank didn’t want to open his eyes yet. He helped Gerard up by pulling his shirt, and kissed the heck out of him, still tasting himself in him. ‘You have no idea –,’ he started saying before Gerard kissed him again.

Once they put themselves back together, they went out to the alley for a smoke.

They didn’t say anything for a while, afraid of being caught, and Frank got the feeling Gerard was more interested in doing than talking. Yet, he turned to him, and took a drag from his cigarette. ‘I know we’ve known each other for less than a week,’ he said, and stopped him before he tried to kiss him again. ‘But I really like you.’ He looked around to make sure there weren’t any fans around, and then kissed him on the cheek. ‘Good night.’


	4. CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME

‘Good evening, San Francisco!’ Frank said, and walked off the stage.

Taking Back Sunday were the last ones to play, so he and Gerard had the rest of the night for themselves. They hid in an empty room, and made out on the table, since it was the only thing there. ‘Fuck, I hate this jumpsuit,’ Gerard said, trying to undress the shorter man under him, but getting frustrated with his outfit.

‘Here.’ Frank got up and quickly took it off, and then got back to it.

They tried to be as quick as possible, afraid they’d get caught, and went out for a cigarette. Soon, Laura Jane Grace, who was also touring with them for the first leg of the tour, came out and asked Frank for one. ‘Hey –,’ she said. ‘Me and some friends are heading out to the bar. I was wondering if you guys wanted to go.’ She didn’t need to say what kind of bar for them to know. They were in San Francisco after all.

Gerard’s face went red, wondering how did she know. He hadn’t exactly come out publicly, though there were always rumors. Frank just laughed. ‘What – you knew?’

‘What? That you’re gay or that you and Frankie are fucking?’

That made Frank react too. _How did she know?_ ‘Wait –’

‘C’mon, guys!’ she continued. ‘You haven’t been subtle. Everyone has seen you running to the restroom together, or how Frank stands by the side of the stage when you’re singing, and looks at you with heart eyes.’ Frank blushed, hiding his face with his hands. ‘It’s actually pretty cute.’

Gerard was smiling too.

‘Well, shall we?’

It felt good to be able to hold hands now that she – and everybody in the crew, apparently – knew about them.

The bar was rather small, but Laura got them a VIP table where they could see the drag show. Gerard kept his arm around Frank’s shoulder the whole time, without even realizing, and Frank loved that.

They didn’t dance, but Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard’s waist, and leaned his head on his shoulder, hugging him for the longest time. After getting drunk, they fucked in the restroom, which was their thing, apparently.

For that night, it felt like nothing else mattered. They didn’t have to be scared of what people thought. No one else there did. They could hold hands and kiss and hug.

‘So – you’re out?’ Gerard asked while they were smoking outside.

‘To my family, my ex-wife. Some friends back home. Laura.’ He paused to blow out smoke. ‘I’ve always known. But it wasn’t anybody’s business. And I was married to a woman, so people didn’t care. Then I divorced, and when I first went out with a guy, I had to tell them.’

‘Did they got mad, or judge you –’

‘Some people. Not the ones that mattered though.’ He noticed Gerard looked anxious, so he took his hand. ‘You don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t feel like it. I know it’s scary. I’m scared too.’

‘What if someone saw us?’

‘We don’t have to give anyone any explanations. We can ignore the topic if it comes out, say that we were hanging out with friends, and it’s San Francisco.’

‘I had my tongue in your mouth!’ Gerard yelled.

‘We can say we were drunk, that we were making a political statement.’

‘In a gay bar?’

Frank giggled. ‘You’re right. But we don’t have to say anything. I’m sure no one even saw us.’ He passed him the cigarette they were sharing. ‘And this doesn’t have to be anything if you don’t want it to be. If that’s what you’re scared of.’ It hurt him a little to say that, but he felt like he had to.

‘It’s not that – it’s just, I don’t know if I’m ready. Not for this, but everything. Being in the spotlight again.’ Frank got closer to hug him. ‘It was a whole different thing to date while being just Gerard, the comic book writer. I know things are going to change now, and I don’t know if I’m ready.’

 _Does that mean he wants to date me_ , Frank thought.

‘We don’t have to be anything,’ Frank repeated, biting his tongue because he _did_ want them to be something. Before he could say another word, Gerard pushed him to the wall, and kissed the fuck out of him, not caring about people seeing them.

They headed back to the venue, and Gerard dragged him to his bus, where they continued making out in his bunk.

***

They arrived in LA the next morning.

Frank had a million texts from Cara asking where the hell he was, and a few more from   
Tucker. _I told her you were in Gerard’s bus. You owe me._

He didn’t reply.

It was strange waking up in a bus that wasn’t his. It was all so different, and people gave him looks.

Then Gerard showed up from behind. ‘Let’s go get some breakfast.’

They found a diner just a couple blocks away from where they were parked, and walked in hand in hand. _So I guess we’re doing this,_ Frank thought. They ordered waffles, and while Gerard went to the restroom, Frank texted Cara that he was with Gerard. _I’m sorry about last night,_ he texted. _I forgot to tell you, I fell asleep._

They ate in silence, but looking at each other every two minutes.

Then, they headed back to their buses, to get ready to that night’s show at the Roxy. ‘Hey –’ Gerard stopped him. ‘We have tomorrow off before we head for Vegas. You wanna stay over at my house?’

‘For real?’ Gerard nodded. ‘Hell, yeah.’

***

After getting yelled at by Cara, and a sold out show at the Roxy, Gerard was waiting for him outside. He had gotten them a cab, and they were off to Gerard’s place.

His house was huge, Frank noticed. Covered with plants and books.

Though he didn’t see much since the moment they walked in, Gerard had him against the wall and taking off his clothes.

No more restrooms and tables. They could finally fuck in a real bed.

And Gerard’s was huge and comfy as fuck.

Frank could finally moan as loud as possible when Gerard came inside him, without fearing getting caught.

Then, Gerard got the weed out, and they smoked and giggled and talked about dumb stuff, made up stories and songs, and Frank had never felt so good in the longest time.

They didn’t even remember fucking one last time before falling asleep. But waking up to Gerard’s pale naked body next to him was a whole new experience he wanted more of.


	5. DADDY'S FRIEND

Gerard made breakfast for them – toast and coffee from his exclusive roast and they sat in his tiny homey kitchen.

‘This shit is good,’ Frank said taking a sip from it. ‘You have to give me some to take home when tour ends.’

‘Of course.’

After a while, he gave Frank a tour of his big somehow unkempt garden, where he felt they could get lost and never come back. It kinda felt like elves and fairies lived there, and Frank and Gerard weren’t supposed to be there. ‘Is your garden haunted our something?’ he asked.

To which Gerard just laughed. ‘Are you sure you’re not high from last night?’

‘Don’t laugh, it’s kinda scary.’

They sat under a tree, and Gerard lit another blunt, and didn’t talk for a while, just giggled and kissed.

Frank felt like a teenager again, which happened a lot when he was with Gerard.

They lay on the grass, and looked up at the clouds, making up stories out of the shapes they saw and laughing at everything. ‘I miss my kids,’ he said out of nowhere.

'You'll see them soon.' Gerard didn't know what else to say. He kinda wished he had what Frank had. He hadn't really talked about them, but it was clear they were the most important thing to Frank.

‘I know – I just – I love doing this, but I miss being home and playing with them.’

‘Do they live with their mom?’

Frank nodded. ‘While I’m on tour, yeah. Well, this is the first one after the divorce. Before, they were staying with me on the weekends. We agreed that now that I’m touring again, they’ll stay with me whenever I’m home.’

‘That’s good.’

Frank nodded. He didn’t even know why he got sad out of nowhere. ‘Your weed is making me sad. Do something.’

‘What?’

‘Kiss me.’

So Gerard sat up, leaning on his arm and did what he was told, making Frank feel like he’s floating in the clouds.

***

They didn’t do much talking for the rest of the day, and later at night, they headed to the hotel where everyone was staying to meet them there.

No one mentioned anything about them arriving together, and they didn’t mention it either.

Just before midnight, everyone was back in their buses, and they were leaving for the next city.

When they made it to Vegas, they all went to iHop for breakfast, and Frank and Gerard could not stop looking at each other.

All the musicians and crew took a picture in front of The Strip, as a memento of the first leg of the tour. It was barely noon and looked different. They all posted it to their social media, and Frank thought it was funny that no one would notice him and Gerard were holding hands because one of the guitar techs was kneeling right in front of them.

That night the show was sold out, and afterwards, they made out in the restroom, as usual. Before heading back to their buses, they shared a cigarette in silence. It was like there was so much to say, especially being a couple dates away of going home for a while. They both knew it was only getting more and more serious, but they didn’t want to talk about it, afraid they’d break a spell of some kind by giving it a label. They just kissed goodbye and went on their way.

The next couple days, at the Phoenix and Dallas dates it was almost the same. Just kisses and touches doing the talk.

They knew it was only a week off, and they’d be back on the road. But they didn’t know if it’d work after that, if they were ready to make the commitment in case it did.

It was clear to both of them that they were more than tour fuck buddies. Even though they had never mentioned feelings, but looks spoke for themselves.

Not wanting to be away from each other, Gerard spent the last day in Frank’s bus, not even hiding anymore. They sat in the main area, holding hands and hanging out with everyone. They talked about the TV show Tucker was watching, and then merch and past tour experiences.

Before the show, Frank called his kids, and insisted Gerard stayed there in the back room with him. ‘Hi, dad!’ he heard them yell when they picked the video call.

‘Heeey!’ Frank’s face lit up just seeing and hearing them, and it was the sweetest thing Gerard had seen. ‘How are? You’re doing your chores and listening to your mom?’

‘Yes, dad,’ Miles said. It was a minute or two before they mentioned the man sitting next to Frank. ‘Who is that?’

Frank blushed just looking at him. ‘Guys, this is daddy’s friend Gerard.’

‘Hi, Mr. Gerard!’ they all said, and he waved back.

‘Cherry, remembered that song I taught you on bass?’

‘The one about the black parade?’ his daughter answered.

‘Yes, that one. Well, he is the guy who wrote and sang it.’

‘Really? Awesome!’

They kept talking for a while, showing their dad everything they’ve done in school and talking about Lois, or asking where he was. ‘I’m in Houston. You know where that’s at?’

‘Texas!’ Lily answered first.

‘That’s right. And you know what? I’m flying home tomorrow morning, so I can pick you up and we can go to the movies.’ The kids celebrated and then said goodbye.

‘So this is the last show, then?’ Gerard asked, taking Frank’s hand behind the stage before it was his turn to go out and play.

‘Yeah.’ Frank was sad, he wasn’t going to deny it. ‘Until two weeks from now.’

‘And what will happen?’

‘I don’t know.’ He kissed Gerard. ‘But I like you a lot. And I’m going to miss you.’

‘Me too. And we still have a few hours after the show.’

‘I guess. Break a leg, then.’

Then Gerard walked on stage as the audience cheered for him, and the first chords of his first single _Na Na Na_ started.


	6. HOME

‘Let me know when you get home,’ Gerard said as they said their goodbyes in the car.

‘I will.’ Frank kissed him one last time, lingering a little longer, hoping he’d remember the taste of his lips over the next couple weeks, and then he got off the car.

He fell asleep as soon as the plane took off, which was good because he was already missing Gerard.

But the closer he got to New Jersey, the more excited he was to see his kids.

It had only been three weeks, and he missed them running around and making a mess, being noisy and annoying, playing with them and just hanging out.

And he had bought them so many gifts during tour, he was sure they’d love.

After almost half a day lost on airports and planes, he finally made it home.

He was tired and needed a nap, but he only took a shower, and cleaned up the house a little before going to pick the kids up from their mom’s house.

‘Hey, there,’ Jamia greeted him when he got there. ‘I wasn’t expecting you here until tomorrow.’

‘I promised them to take them to the movies, so I’m not breaking that promise.’ He often felt guilty for missing out on so much, and breaking so many promises because of his career. And now that they were divorced, it was even worse because he knew exactly how it felt, having grown up with divorced parents.

‘C’mon in,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell them you’re here.’

While the kids finished getting ready and got their bags, Frank texted Gerard.

_Hey._

He waited a few minutes but there was no answer. A part of him knew Gerard was most likely busy or sleeping, or hadn’t even made it to LA. But another part of him was sure he’d forgotten about him by now.

‘Dad!’ the three kids came running to him, bringing him back to reality.

Maybe this is the only thing that should matter. Maybe what he had with Gerard was just lust, him feeling so lonely that he was confusing for something more.

He just hugged his kids and ignored his stupid brain.

They all got in the car and Frank drove them to the movies. They chose the Avengers and Frank bought them popcorn and soda and all the candy they wanted, spoiling them just like his dad used to when he was a kid.

After the movies, they picked up the dogs from Frank’s dad’s house and went home and played monopoly and ate ice cream. It was then that his phone rang.

He almost jumped off his seat, just like a teenager when his crush called.

Gerard.

It was Gerard.

He remembered him.

‘I’ll be back, guys,’ he said to his children. ‘I have to answer this phone call.’ And then he went outside to the backyard, and answered. ‘Hey.’

He was aware of how shaky his voice was, but he couldn’t hide it.

‘Hi,’ Gerard said, and Frank knew he was smiling. He imagined him sitting in his bed, smiling, and he wished he was there with him. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t answer.’

‘It’s okay.’ It was. He knew he was just overreacting.

‘I’m staying with my brother for the next couple days.’

‘That’s cool. I’m glad you’re not by yourself in that old big house of yours.’ Gosh, Frank wanted to tell him so many things. How much he missed him, how he – ‘I miss you.’

‘I miss you too.’

‘I can’t wait to see you again.’

‘Me neither.’ They didn’t say much for the rest of the call, just about their day and Frank’s kids and Gerard’s nieces, before they hung up and Frank went back inside.

The next morning he woke up to make breakfast and they went to the park with the dogs. And on Monday, he took them to school early in the morning, and when he was back, he took another nap and woke up to Gerard calling him.

They talked about a new song Gerard was writing. He asked Frank about guitar pedals, and he gave him a list of the ones he should buy. They talked for hours until he realized it was time to pick the kids up from school, but they promised to call each other the next day.

Though they kept texting each other throughout the day, while Frank helped the kids with homework, and to show him the dinner he cooked for them. Gerard sent him a picture of his cat in his garden, and told him he was going to go write.

Gerard called him the next morning and the next and Frank sent him a video of Cherry playing Welcome to the Black Parade on bass, and Gerard said he loved it.

But Frank also made most of the time he had with his kids. They played video games and played with the dogs. He really loved being a dad more than anything else.

He loved how each one of them had their own personalities, and helped them with all the ideas they had. They showed him a movie they made and asked him to write music for the soundtrack, so the three of them sat with Frank while he played guitar, making up tunes until they all agreed it was what the movie needed, and then he recorded it on his laptop and added it to the video.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for him to go back on tour and they had to go back with their mom. ‘I’ll miss you, guys,’ he said, dropping them off the night before. ‘I’ll be back before you know it, okay?’

‘Say hi to Mr. Gerard for us,’ Lily said.

Frank just smiled and agreed. He knew that they were starting to figure out.

He left for Florida just hours later – whoever had booked his flight at four in the morning was going to pay for the consequences – and tried not to cry.

He got to Orlando by noon, tired as hell, but as soon as he made it to the venue he looked for Gerard. He found him talking to his bass player inside, and went to say hi.

‘Hi,’ the other man said, smiling. ‘How are you?’

Frank walked up to him and kissed him. And everything was right again. He knew then he didn’t want to be away from him ever again. ‘I’m good now.’


	7. STATE FAIR RIDES

That first night back on tour, they started right where they left off.

Cigarette breaks with the rest of their bands, as well as Adam and Laura. Make out sessions in Frank’s bunk before the show and joking around. It felt so natural by now, and even Gerard was more comfortable holding hands around other people.

‘So, you guys are – like a thing now?’ Tucker asked Frank backstage as they were getting ready.

‘I don’t know – maybe.’ Frank would hope so. Just the thought made him nervous. He knew it was complicated to go public, and he didn’t want to hide it, but he knew it was also up to Gerard.

‘That’s cool. To be honest, you seem happier.’

Frank couldn’t help smiling. ‘I am.’

‘It looks good on you, man. Maybe we can go on a double date when we’re back in Jersey.’

‘That’s still far away.’ Yet, he was blushing.

That night, as soon as the show was over, they hung out in Gerard’s bus and talked for hours in his bunk before falling asleep.

The next day, they played in Tampa and one of the opening bands of the east leg, who happened to be from the area, invited them for lunch at their house. At first, Frank wasn’t so sure it was the best idea to show PDA, and kept his distance, playing with the dog. Though by the time food was ready, he was smoking with Gerard and holding hands, and no one really batted an eye.

Before their show in Miami, Frank and Derek from The Homeless Gospel choir were sitting in the greenroom writing a song together, while Gerard just sat there listening to them, falling in love with Frank a little more.

Gerard knew things were fleeting. Relationships on tour never worked, he knew it. He’d been there before. It was either based on sex or addiction, or just to feel less alone while on tour. But he also knew it felt different with Frank.

They called each other while they were home, and if it wasn’t for those stupid deadlines and meetings, he would have got on the first flight to New Jersey to be with Frank.

He couldn’t wait until tour was over and they could try to date as a normal couple.

Though nothing was normal about them, he realized.

In the meantime, they went for ice cream before the show, holding hands in the street, and only let go as they approached the venue, to avoid fans wondering.

They had a day off in Atlanta, and somehow Derek convinced a bunch of people to go to the state fair nearby. It was a small town, very southern, and they all doubted people there would recognize them, though they all got looks because of the tattoos. Without even thinking, Frank took Gerard’s hand as soon as they got off the rental car.

Gerard gave him a look, not sure it was the best idea in the middle of a town that seemed not so accepting, but Frank didn’t care and pulled him to the entrance to the fair. It was too crowded, and people seemed to be minding their own business, but Frank noticed an old lady looking at them. ‘You want cotton candy?’ Frank asked, ignoring the looks. They shared a pink one, and then joined Derek on the arcade.

Frank went to a bunch of fairs back home with his kids but this was different.

He felt like a teenager with his first boyfriend. He took selfies of them while they were eating, and one or two of the view in front of them. He looked up to the Ferris Wheel, and then turned to Gerard. ‘Shall we?’

‘Nah, I’m too old for that.’

‘C’mon!’

‘No, you know how long it’s been since the last time I went on one of those? Decades!’

‘Well, then it’ll be like a first time. And I’ll be with you, kissing you to distract you.’

‘That sounds like a tempting plan. Are you trying to tempt me?’

And it worked.

They held hands, and once up there, to keep him from looking down, Frank kissed him. Soft and slow, his tongue deep inside, savoring him.

And then they were going down.

‘That was good,’ Gerard said with a smile.

‘Should we do it again?’

Gerard nodded and they stay seated for another round. Frank was giggling, taking pictures of their hands, their fingers locked together. Kissing the heck out of Gerard.

‘I love you,’ Frank said as they pulled apart. The words just came out, just like that. He hadn’t been so sure of anything in his life.

He knew it was too soon, but that was how Gerard had come into his life.

He wasn’t expecting any of this, and now he knew he couldn’t be happier.

Gerard only responded by kissing him again, as they were going down, and not letting go until they had to get off the ride.

They got a funnel cake, and Frank won a stuffed turtle on a game and gave it to Gerard.

They couldn’t wait until the rest of them wanted to leave, so they got an Uber to get back to the hotel where they were staying.

It seemed the perfect occasion, like everything was working out for them. They sneaked in Gerard’s room, since in was the closer one to the elevator, and took off their clothes, as they reached the bed. Gerard let Frank fuck him, and they cuddled afterwards. As Frank recovered his breath, Gerard stroked his tattooed chest, and said, ‘I love you too.’

***

They played Atlanta the following night, and then Nashville.

It was there that, sitting in the back lounge of Frank’s bus, drinking coffee and watching a movie, Frank turned to Gerard, and finally asked the question. ‘Hey, you wanna be my boyfriend? For real?’

Gerard just smiled at him and nodded, before they kissed.


	8. MAGICAL NIGHT

**_Cleveland, OH_ **

They made it to the venue just before nine, and as soon as the bus was parked, Frank jumped off from his seat, and ran to Gerard’s bus.

They’d been texting all morning since they woke up, sharing jokes and emojis. And Frank asked him out on a breakfast date.

‘Good morning, boyfriend,’ Gerard greeted him as he walked in. He was a regular by now, and they just let him in without any questions.

‘Ready to go?’

They found a café nearby, and got bagels and lattes. ‘Fancy,’ Gerard said looking around.

‘Anything for my boyfriend.’ Frank leaned in for a kiss.

‘Oh, I like the sound of that.’

‘And I love saying it.’ They sat by the corner, and kept the conversation they were having over texts. Something about the last time he went home to Jersey, and how he missed his parents. ‘I spent like a month or two living in my parents basement after the divorce, but then had to go to a lot of meetings and events for Dark Horse, so I moved back to LA.’

‘Wait – divorce? You were married too?’

‘Yeah. I thought you knew.’

‘No.’

Gerard looked at him for a minute. ‘Does that bother you?’

‘No, why would it? Just surprised cause I didn’t know.’

‘Yeah, that was pretty much the reason the band broke up. When I got married, she became possessive and controlling, and I didn’t know how to take it.’ He paused, and turned to Frank. ‘I haven’t really talked about this with anyone other than my therapists. Not even Mikey or my parents. But my mental health got pretty bad, and the tours got too intense. But she wanted to be the wife of this rockstar, and I was tired of it. When I came home after tour, we got in a fight, and I moved out that same night.’

Frank didn’t say anything and just reached for his hand.

‘That’s why I enjoyed being away from the spotlight, and why it took me so long to do music again. She just wanted the fame, the name. It just made me want to stay as far away as possible.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I’m okay now,’ Gerard said with a smile. ‘I’m glad to be making music again, because that led me to you.’

Frank kissed him. ‘You’re so fucking cheesy, but you’re lucky I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ They kept talking for a while, and an old lady walked by and told them they made a cute couple. ‘Shit,’ Gerard said after checking his watch. ‘I need to go! I got an interview and then the acoustic show.’

‘Look at you! All rockstar!’

‘Shut up! I’m fucking nervous! I haven’t done radio shows in a while.’

‘You’ll be fine. You’re Gerard Fucking Way. Show them!’ They walked back to the venue, and kissed goodbye. ‘But I’ll miss hanging out with you,’ he said with a pout.

‘I’ll be back soon enough.’

While Gerard was busy with the interview, Frank went back to his bus, and tried to clean up and do everything he hadn’t done in the last couple days. Then, he facetimed the kids. ‘Hey, monsters!’ he said. He sat in the back lounge by himself, his laptop in front of him.

‘Hi, dad!’ the girls said. Miles was too busy playing with Lois.

He asked them how they were doing and they talked about school and homework and Lois, as usual. Then, the kids asked where he was, and if there was anything fun to do, or how he was doing. ‘That’s why I call you, guys,’ he said. ‘I have something important to tell you. I wanted you to be the first ones to know, okay? So – dad has a boyfriend.’

‘Is it the black parade man?’ Cherry asked.

‘Yeah.’ Frank couldn’t help laughing at that. ‘Gerard, he is my boyfriend now.’

‘Cool,’ Miles said.

‘I’m happy for you, dad,’ Lily said. ‘He seems like a nice guy.’

‘He is.’ He paused, nervous. ‘You have any questions?’

Miles started. ‘So boys can have boyfriends?’

‘Yes, and girls can have girlfriends. As long as both like each other and they make each other happy. And Gerard and I like each other a lot and he makes me happy.’

‘That’s good,’ Cherry added.

That’s all Frank wanted. He knew the kids were smart, and he and Jamia had raised them well. They’d understand.

‘So Gerard, huh?’ Jamia said when the kids got bored and left to play videogames.

‘Yeah,’ he said, blushing. ‘You think I’m crazy, huh?’

‘No, I’m just surprised that you ended up with him. Remember when you were obsessed with The Black Parade?’

‘Shhh!’

‘I’m happy for you, really. It was about time.’

‘Thank you.’

They didn’t have much time before the show, except for a quick smoke with Adam, and then Gerard had to get onstage.

And after many technical difficulties, Frank and his band played too.

‘You look hot when you’re that sweaty,’ Gerard told Frank backstage after his set. ‘I wanted to take you on a date, but everything’s closed by now.’

‘You can take me to the restroom stall and call it a date, and I’ll be fine.’

So he did that. And after that, they went to the rooftop of the venue, which apparently had a nice view. Frank got his phone and took pictures of the buildings, and the stars, and Gerard, just standing there smoking and watching and looking at the street below. Frank approached him and took his hand, locking their fingers together, and took a picture of it.

‘I’m gonna start a collection of these,’ he said, looking at his phone.

Then, he posted the picture on his Instagram. The caption read, _nights with you are magical._

He then turned off his phone, and kissed his boyfriend.


	9. LOVE

PHILADELPHIA, PA

It was the usual early morning, everyone barely awake, going for a smoke in the parking lot as soon as they made it to the venue.

It was Adam’s turn to get breakfast, so he told everyone he’d be back soon.

‘Only three more dates of the tour left,’ Gerard said, pulling Frank closer.

‘Yup.’ He didn’t want to think about it, but it was impossible not to. Even if they were officially a thing now, they still lived in opposite coasts, and Frank hadn’t introduced him to his kids yet, and they would have to figure out their whole arrangement.

‘Why the sad eyes?’

‘Well – considering I live in Jersey, and you live in California –’

‘But we’ll figure out something. Besides, it’ll be nice to see the folks.’ They sat there, sharing the last of their cigarette, when Adam arrived with breakfast burritos for everyone.

‘You guys wanna come with us?’ Derek asked, while they were all eating.

‘Where?’ Frank asked.

‘Just for a walk. These kids,’ he said, pointing to the rest of his band, ‘They want to go to the Rocky steps, and it’s not that far from here, so why not.’

‘Let’s go then.’

Every band ended up joining them in the end, since they had some extra time while the crew finished setting up the stage. And neither Frank nor Gerard had ever been to the museum, so they were kind of excited. Or at least enjoying the moment. Derek challenged them to a race up the steps, but only Frank accepted, and asked Gerard to take a picture when he made it first, with his arms up like Rocky.

The rest of them hung out for a while, but Gerard wanted to actually get in the museum and look around. ‘Once an art school kid, always an art school kid, huh?’ Frank said as they walked in, because he couldn’t say no to his boyfriend.

Besides, it was a great excuse for a date.

Hand in hand, they looked around the rooms, and Gerard told him about the different art techniques, and the artists he recognized.

‘Am I boring you?’ he asked.

‘Absolutely not! I like this!’

‘You don’t have to lie.’

‘I’m not lying. I never knew medieval art could be so interesting, but you make it interesting.’

‘You just say that because you want to get in my pants.’

‘I do want to get in your pants, but that’s not the only reason. I’m truly interested in everything you say.’

‘Why are you so fucking perfect, Frank Iero?’

‘I don’t know. I wonder that myself.’

It was a good thing it was only ten in the morning, and they were the only ones there, because they could just kiss without anyone judging them for too much PDA.

Not even ten minutes later, Frank got a text from Derek asking where they were. ‘I hate to end this,’ Frank told Gerard. ‘But they’re waiting for us outside.’

They all took a picture doing the Rocky pose before leaving, and then continued on their walk. Derek was giving his band members a tour of the landmarks he liked, so they walked for a while, stopping for cheesestakes, and Frank was glad they had a veggie option.

They ended up in the Love Park after that, and Frank noticed the famous love sign. ‘So here’s where couples come and take cheesy pictures, huh?’ he said.

‘As if you’re not thinking about doing the same thing,’ Gerard said from behind.

‘Me?’ He faked a laugh but it wasn’t convincing enough. ‘I just – didn’t know it was here.’

‘Shall we?’

‘Fine, only because you want to.’ They asked Adam to take the picture, and they stood under the red sign, kissing.

He knew it was the cheesiest thing ever but he loved the picture. And if it wasn’t because nobody knew about Gerard and him, he’d post it.

But he took one last picture of just the landmark, the sun shining right above it, and he added a filter.

 _I found LOVE,_ the caption read.

Gerard just smiled when he saw the post. ‘You’re a dork,’ he said, and then they followed the rest back to the venue.

Gerard went straight inside to get ready for soundcheck and an interview, while Frank went to his bus to chill for a while.

Except Cara was already waiting for him. ‘Where the hell were you, and why weren’t you answering your phone?’ she asked.

‘We all went for a walk, I told you!’

‘But you could have answered!’

‘But I was busy, hanging out.’

‘And you had time to post another picture!’

‘Why are you so angry? What happened?’ He just laughed, not sure what was the deal with her.

‘It happened that AltPress already posted an article of about the picture you posted last night, making people wonder who that might be, and Michael has been calling me all morning wondering if you’ll give them the exclusive.’

_Shit._

He hadn’t thought about that.

That meant he had to come out to everybody, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for a big announcement like that. He wished it wasn’t that big of a deal, but apparently his post was already a big deal.

Why did it have to be so hard?

‘Just tell him no,’ he said, trying to sound as calm as possible. ‘I’ll do it on my own terms or nothing.’

‘But –’

‘I don’t care. It’s not just me, okay? I have to think about my kids, and Gerard. I’m sure he doesn’t want a big announcement either.’

‘Fine.’

‘I have to talk to him.’

‘I know.’

He was anxious for the next couple hours, and it was obvious all through soundcheck. Tucker had to stop it, and told Frank to take a break, so Frank went out for a cigarette.

But it wasn’t enough.

He went to Gerard’s bus to look for him. ‘Hey, babe,’ the older man said as soon as he saw hi walk in. And he noticed he looked frustrated. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Can we talk?’ Fortunately the parking lot was away from where all the fans were waiting, so they went outside.

‘What happened?’

‘It’s just –’ He didn’t know how to say it. ‘Remember what I posted last night?’ Gerard nodded. ‘Well, it seems AltPress wrote something about it, and people are already assuming things, and they pretty much offered me a lot of money to give them the exclusive of me coming out.’

‘What?!’

‘Obviously I’m not taking it.’

‘But then, what are you doing?’

‘I don’t know. They don’t know it’s you, but they know it’s a man’s hand. I had to limit the comments on my Instagram because people were going crazy with the theories.’

Gerard just gave him a look.

‘I – I don’t know if I’m ready to come out yet. I need to talk to the kids first. But I do know, that I’m serious about us, so people would find out eventually.’

Gerard walked up to him and took both his hands, trying to calm him down.

And Frank continued. ‘And I’ll only do it when you’re ready.’

‘I’ve made my peace. If that’s what it takes for me to be with you, I’m okay with everyone knowing. You’re more than worth it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Trust me, I am. I almost told everyone this morning, and then I remembered I haven’t used my twitter account in years and it’d be to much if my first tweet is me coming out. And I wanted to ask you first.’

‘You almost did your twitter comeback because of me?’

Gerard nodded.

‘That is true love,’ Frank said and kissed him.

‘It is.’

‘So – should we tell everyone then?’

‘When it’s the right time, we’ll know.’

‘But we can still fuck in the meantime, right?’

‘Oh, definitely.’

And he pulled him to Gerard’s tiny bunk in the back.

***

‘I can’t believe you’ll finally meet the kids tomorrow,’ Frank said, already wearing his blue jumpsuit, while they talk before his set.

‘Now I’m nervous.’

‘But why? They’ll love you!’

‘But they’re your kids, they’re the most important thing to you. And that’s a lot!’

‘Well, that’s true. But you’ll get along.’

They kissed one last time, and Frank walked onstage after his drummer. ‘Good evening, Philadelphia! My name is Frank Iero and these are the Future Violents!’ The crowd cheered as Tucker kept the beat with his drums. ‘Thanks for joining us tonight! And before we start I just want to say – I fucking love you, G.’


	10. JERSEY

NEW JERSEY

Most bands decided to stay the night in Philly before driving to Jersey, but Frank missed his bed and wanted to take Gerard home so bad, he had rented a car and they drove all the way home.

‘I’m not gonna lie,’ Gerard said looking out the window. ‘I kinda miss Jersey.’

‘How long has it been since the last time you were here?’ Frank asked.

‘A couple years maybe. Just to visit my parents.’

‘Are they coming to the show?’

‘Definitely! I already called them to confirm.’

Frank smiled at him, eyes on the road, and stayed silent for a moment. Something was eating him away, but he didn’t know how to say it. ‘Would you –,’ he started. ‘Would you ever consider moving back to Jersey?’

Gerard smiled because he knew exactly what he was asking. ‘It depends,’ he said, locking his hand with Frank’s.

They didn’t say anything for the rest of the drive, and Gerard was already falling asleep in the passenger seat.

When they finally pulled up the driveway, they were outside a nice, big house in the suburbs. ‘Wow! I like it,’ Gerard said between yawns.

‘Well, I need a house big enough for three kids and a crazy dog. It’s not as big as yours, but –’

‘That’s what she said.’

Frank laughed at the immature joke just because he was too tired. He led him inside, and started to turn on the lights, with Gerard looking around, admiring everything. ‘Make yourself home,’ Frank said. ‘I’m gonna go take a shower. You wanna join me?’

Gerard just smiled and thought about it for a second.

‘C’mon!’

‘Fine, just because of the non-showering part.’

‘I knew you’d say that.’

They were too tired to do anything other than making out and jerking each other off, and Gerard almost fell but Frank caught him.

They kept making out all their way to the bed, and Gerard went down on him, taking his load, and fucked him until they both fell asleep.

***

Gerard woke up naked in an empty bed.

He looked around the room, seeing it for the first time in the daylight. Pictures of Frank’s kids and dogs adorned the room, and there was an acoustic guitar by the corner. Just what he expected of Frank, and it was freaking adorable.

He was about to get up, when the man himself appeared on his door with a mug of coffee. ‘Good morning, sunshine!’ he said. He was wearing one of his cute sweaters, and his hair combed to the side. ‘Sorry I had to leave you. I had to run some errands before leaving for the venue, and I made breakfast.’ He sat next to him and leaned in for a kiss.

‘You’re trying to convince me to move back home?’

‘Is it working?’

‘Maybe?’

Frank giggled as Gerard cuddled closer. ‘I left your bag on the chair by the corner.’

Gerard got up, and started going through his bag. ‘Hey – I forgot underwear. By any chance –’

Frank threw an unopened bag of briefs at him. ‘You’re lucky I have tons of this from tour. You can keep the whole bag.’

‘So nice of you.’

Once dressed up, Frank handed him the mug of coffee. ‘So – are you ready to meet the kids?’

‘More like a little nervous. I know they’re great, but they’re pretty much an extension of you, and three of them, I don’t know if I can deal with that.’

‘You’ll do great.’

‘You think I will?’

‘Yeah,’ Frank whispered. ‘They’ll like you.’

Frank served them his famous egg casserole and Gerard started interrogating him about what he needed to know before meeting the kids. ‘So – you and your exwife –,’ he said.

‘Jamia.’

‘Jamia. How long have you been divorced?’

‘Almost two years?

‘Wow! But you guys still get along, right?’

‘Yeah. It took us a while to be friends again, because at first it was kind of uncomfortable. But I think, because of the kids, it got better.’

‘I’m glad.’ Gerard took another sip of coffee before continuing. ‘And can I ask why did you –?’

Frank hesitated. ‘We just didn’t love each other as much, I guess. We started fighting a lot, I stopped giving a shit about some things, she stopped giving a shit about others, maybe we started seeing other people, and the ones who were suffering the most were the kids. So –’

‘That sucks.’

‘Yeah. But I think we’re better now.’

‘I’m glad.’

After breakfast, they drove to the venue, where Cara was waiting for him because he had an interview with a local magazine and he had totally forgotten about it. ‘C’mon, Iero! You’re late!’

When he walked in the bus, there was already a crowd. A camera man, a photographer, the woman doing the interview, and another guy. They greeted each other, and Frank told them he just wanted to go home and sleep in his bed, but he overslept.

The interview started, and it went smoothly. They talked about his career, living in New Jersey as opposed to NY or LA like many other artists, family, what he’d been listening to lately, and how tour had been. And that was when the question came out. ‘So there’s a rumor about you being in a relationship –,’ the woman said, trying to sound excited.

Frank didn’t know how to react. He just wasn’t sure it was the right time, and tried not to look like he wanted to kill someone. ‘I’d rather not answer that right now.’

‘I’m sorry, I –’

‘It’s okay, I just don’t want to talk about it right now.’ He was clearly upset, and Cara had to beg him to continue with the interview, so they promised to omit the topic.

When he was done with the interview, he went to Gerard’s bus and found him with an older couple who Frank assumed were his parents. ‘There he is,’ Gerard said when he walked in.

‘Hey,’ Frank said, a little confused.

‘Mom, Dad, this is Frank.’

He shook their hands. ‘He told us a lot about you,’ his mom said.

‘Oh, really?’ He turned to Gerard, who smiled at him.

‘You sound like a good man, and I’m glad he found you.’

‘I’m glad too.’

They talked for a while, until Frank got a text from Jamia saying she was outside the venue and needed him to let the security to let them in. ‘I’m sorry, I gotta go,’ he said.

He ran to the entrance, where Jamia’s car was waiting to be let in, and as soon as Frank talked to the security, they got in. As soon as they parked the car, the kids ran to him. ‘I’m glad you’re here, guys!’ he said to them, including Jamia. Despite them not being together anymore, she still supported him just like when they were young. And the kids were his biggest fans.

He led them to the bus, where they played with the rest of the band, while Jamia told them about Miles first soccer match of the season, and the girls planning their own birthday party. ‘So –,’ Frank said. ‘I want the kids to meet Gee.’

‘Oh, really?’ Jamia answered with a smirk. ‘You’re that serious!’

‘Yes.’ He blushed, and it felt like talking to a best friend, which was weird considering they used to be married. ‘But that’s not all. If it goes well – I might go public about it.’ He paused, waiting for her reaction. She nodded, showing her support. ‘Just a heads up. We might need to talk to the kids.’

‘I understand.

‘Thank you.’

As if on cue, Tucker walked in and let him know that Gerard was looking for him. ‘Tell him to come in.’

‘Hi,’ Gerard said, and Frank greeted him with a kiss on the lips.

‘C’mon! I need to introduce you to some important people. This here, is my best friend Jamia.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ she said.

‘Nice to meet you, too!’

She wouldn’t stop smiling. ‘It’s just weird that you were his celebrity crush back in 2005 and now you’re dating.’

Gerard laughed at Frank blushing, and just then the kids came rushing through the corridor.

‘Hey, guys! Come here!’ They went to where he was. ‘This is Gerard, Gerard, these are Lily, Cherry and Miles.’

‘Nice to meet you guys!’

They greeted him, and Miles showed him a box of Legos his uncle Evan had bought him, and asked if he wanted to help him build it. Frank was glad it’d gone smooth.

They got in before the show, and hung out behind the stage. Frank took the kids to the merch table to get them shirts, and didn’t notice Gerard was behind him. ‘You should totally get this one,’ he said, pointing to one of his own shirts that had graffiti all over, and said _Look Alive Sunshine_ on the front.

‘I like it.’ Frank bought it, and also got one of his own shirts that had long sleeves and a barbed wire heart on front. ‘And this is for you.’

‘Should we wear them tonight? Wouldn’t it be too obvious?’

‘I don’t care.’

They headed backstage and met with the rest of the bands. The kids were playing with their uncle, and their families were talking to each other. ‘This went better than I imagined,’ Frank said.

‘I think it’s a god sign.’

‘You think?’

Soon, Gerard got onstage, wearing the black barbed wire heart shirt that said Frank Iero on the back. He sang his heart out, while his parents cheered for him, as well as his boyfriend and his kids.

When it was Frank’s turn, he walked to the mic, wearing a Killjoys shirt with graffiti on it. And when he looked to his left, he saw Lily and Gerard dancing together, and he had to hold in the tears.

After the show, they all headed to an Italian restaurant to eat.

Somehow it felt like a family gathering. The first of many.

And Gerard started considering moving back to Jersey.


	11. LAST NIGHT OF TOUR

NEW YORK

Frank opened his eyes to find Gerard lying next to him in his bed. _His_ bed, in _his_ room, in _his_ house in New Jersey. And Frank liked that view.

He could get used to it, and would love this view every morning.

‘Good morning, babe,’ Gerard mumbled, his eyes still closed, knowing his boyfriend was staring at him.

‘Morning, babe.’

All the older man could do was smile back at him, his day already a lot better.

‘Is it too soon to say I love having you here?’ Frank asked, causing the other man to blush and cuddling closer. ‘I would make you and the kids breakfast, go to the park with you. Is that something you’d be interested in?’

‘Are you asking me if I want to move in with you?’ he asked with a shy smile.

‘I mean, why would you go to LA to your lonely house, when you can be in with your boyfriend, in your hometown?’

‘Sounds tempting.’

‘Look, you don’t have to say yes, just think about it, and you know, you’ll always have a place to stay when you visit Jersey.’

‘I’d appreciate it a lot.’

‘May I seduce you with the best breakfast burritos and coffee you’ll ever have?’ Frank asked, nuzzling his neck.

‘You may try – but I’m actually in the mood for something else.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah – I kinda want Italian sausage.’

Frank laughed hysterically. ‘Look at you, Mr. Way! You and your dirty mouth!’

‘You want me to use it?’

‘Is that even a question? Get on it!’

***

Once they stepped out of their after-sex shower, they walked to the kitchen, and Frank started cooking, while his guest worked on the coffee. ‘I think you’re convincing me,’ he whispered to the younger man as he handed him his cup, exactly like Frank liked it.

‘I knew it’d work.’

‘So – we better head to the venue before traffic gets crazy,’ Gerard mentioned, once they cleaned up everything.

‘Oh yeah, Jamia and the kids will meet us there for lunch.’ Frank noticed his reaction, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his kids, though he doubted it was that. But it could be him mentioning his ex. ‘Is it okay that she’s coming?’

‘Of course. I love how supportive you guys are of each other, and that she’s still a part of your life.’

‘It’s okay if it bothers you. She’s my kids’ mom, so of course she’s going to be in my life, but I know it can be weird.’

‘No – I don’t mind it. She’s nice, and she still cares about you.’

‘You are the best, you know?’

‘I know.’

An hour later, they were making it to Manhattan, and parking outside a famous pancake restaurant that the kids had been wanting to visit for some time. ‘Dad!’ Miles said as he ran to Frank, who realized how much he missed them living with him, but thankfully it was the last day of tour.

‘You guys just got here?’ he asked Jamia.

‘About an hour ago. We thought you were at the venue already so we were hanging out with Cara.’

‘Oh yeah, we kinda slept in.’

‘Yeah, right.’ She then greeted the other man with a hug. ‘Hi, Gee.’

‘Hi.’

‘I know you probably think it’s weird, but I’m really glad you guys found each other,’ she told him.

‘Not weird at all, and I appreciate it.’

After lunch, they headed back to the venue, and Adam’s kids were there too, and Laura tried to convince them all to play soccer outside, but they were all too entertained with their videogames.

In the meantime, the adults were having pizza and beers to celebrate the last night of tour.

‘It was an honor touring with all of you guys,’ Gerard said, raising his can of Coke. ‘It was the best way to come back to this.’

They all went _aww_ and cheer for him.

And he continued. ‘And yeah, I’m also grateful because this tour may or may not have changed my life, and I may or may not have met the love of my life.’

‘I knew you’d say that,’ Adam replied, wrapping an arm around him. ‘And I have to say, I’m glad I was the one who introduced you to each other, so you’re welcome.’

They all went around giving their own speeches, mainly celebrating that they could go home to their families and pets. And when it was Frank’s turn, he was almost crying, not letting go of Gerard’s hand. ‘Well – first of all, I’m happy that I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed, and take my kids to school and play with them instead of being stuck in a gross bus with you. But in all seriousness, this is my favorite tour that I’ve been part of, for obvious reasons, and I’m glad I could be with all of my best friends too. We should do this soon.’

Minutes later, they were getting on stage, and Gerard decided to include his cover of _Superstar_ to his setlist, singing it to Frank, who was standing side stage the whole time. And then, ended the set with a song he had written during the week they had off.

_If you stay, I would even wait all night_ _  
Or until my heart explodes  
How long until we find our way  
In the dark and out of harm?  
You can run away with me  
Anytime you want_

And that night Frank played with his all, as if it was the last time he could play music. He ended the set with _Joyriding,_ but let the audience sing the whole song, and it was magical. ‘Thank you, New York! You know how to party.’ And then he was off, walking straight to Gerard and kissing his lips. ‘I love you.’

He wanted to celebrate the end of the tour with him only, but his kids were there, and it could wait. Besides, they were dragged to Taking Back Sunday’s bus for the after party. Adam had ordered catering for everyone, and there were people hanging out in the parking lot, even some devoted fans.

While they talked to Laura, Jamia took a picture of Frank with his head on Gerard’s shoulder, giggling, holding hands, and sent it to him. He just smiled big and high fived her. 

‘Hey,’ he said, trying to get Gerard’s attention. ‘Is it okay if I post it?’ He showed him the picture, bringing a smile to the older man’s face too.

‘I love it. Yes.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I think it’s time.’

‘Me too.’

So he got on his Instagram, and posted the picture with the caption, _Tonight was our night, New York. The last night of tour. These days are always bittersweet, wanting to go home with your family, but knowing you’ll miss your frendz. But this one especially, brought a special person to my life. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love on tour, but I did. I love you @gerardway._

Not even an hour later, the kids were tired, and Frank was starting to get drunk, so Gerard pulled him to the side. ‘Should we head home?’ he asked.

‘Home?’ Frank replied, his eyes sparkly from all the alcohol and hearing Gerard referring to his house as home. ‘Is that a yes then?’

His boyfriend just nodded.

‘Let’s go then.’


End file.
